SACRAMENTO â Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed Assembly Bill 448, legislation jointly authored by Orange County Assemblymembers Tom Daly (D â Anaheim) and Sharon Quirk-Silva (D â Fullerton) to establish the Orange County Housing Finance Trust.
"This legislation is a product of teamwork, and refreshing cooperation in Orange County. This was a bipartisan effort to find permanent housing for our struggling residents," said Quirk-Silva. "As a mother, teacher, former mayor, and concerned resident, I understand there are many roadblocks to providing housing for the countyâs growing population of chronically homeless people. Nevertheless, with optimistic and sensible approaches like this one, we will be able to help the homeless in our community over time."
A 2017 UC Irvine study, commissioned by Orange County United Way, found that 68% of Orange Countyâs homeless population had lived in the County for 10 years or longer. The UCI study concluded that Orange County could save $42 million a year on healthcare and law enforcement, among other expenses, by moving chronically homeless people from the streets into permanent supportive housing.
Permanent supportive housing is a stable, affordable place to live with services that promote housing stability. The Daly/Quirk-Silva bill establishes a single purpose joint powers authority that will serve as convener of all stakeholders and collaborators. The goal of this JPA is to attract funding for permanent supportive housing for the homeless.
âCollaboration is key to reducing homelessness and this Trust will better position Orange County and its 34 cities to compete for future state and federal funding,â Assemblymember Daly said. âThe framework established under this measure creates a united public-private effort. This can direct significant resources toward the construction of permanent supportive housing for the regionâs homeless.â
AB 448 takes effect on January 1, 2019.